Developer Blog: Storm King's Thunder Features

We’re here to tell you about Neverwinter: Storm King’s Thunder. This new release coincides directly with Wizards of the Coast’s latest offering and we can’t wait for you to see how we’ve tied into their epic tale!

Before we get into the new features, there’s one BIG thing you need to know: giants (see what I did there?) are threatening the very existence of the Sword Coast! Each of the giants (hill, stone, frost, cloud, storm) has a different plan on how to rise to the top of the ranks, and in this module we’ll be heading back to Icewind Dale to focus on Jarl Storvald’s plan to secure a powerful artifact. This mighty frost giant is looking to acquire the Ring of Winter so he can freeze the world, and only you brave adventurers can stop him!

Let’s talk about the kinds of things you’ll be doing in this new expansion:

Three new adventure zones!

It’s been a while since we’ve had a new adventure zone, and with Storm King’s Thunder you’ve got three to explore. There’s Bryn Shander, the hub of the Ten Towns. This mighty walled city is surely the safest place to be in times of danger...

You’ll also be making your way up to The Lonelywood where you’ll definitely enjoy the peaceful surroundings of this woodland town on the lake. I can’t imagine anything going wrong here...

Last but not least, you’ll make your way to Cold Run. This location is on the bank of the Sea of Moving Ice and I hear it’s quite lovely this time of year...

With all of these adventure zones you’ll have new quests, new repeatables, new heroic encounters and new instances. Each of these zones are for higher-level players, and though you can venture out solo, you might want to consider finding a few friends as these frost giants don’t mess around.

A new tier of dungeon and gear!

We’re adding a new 5-player dungeon named, Fangbreaker Island. This will be the hardest content in the game and will require a higher item level than any of our other queues. This dungeon is meant to be a challenge and will give you access to the newest, and (for their slots) best gear in the game so far.

You’ll need to progress through the new campaign tied to the above adventure zones to gain access to this dungeon as well.

Ostorian Relics!

With the magical cold being generated by the Ring of Winter, players will need to find ancient components, called Ostorian Relics, to protect from the bitter freeze. These lost elements from the ancient giant civilization might just be the thing that keeps you alive to reclaim the Ring of Winter.

Class Balance!

We’ve been working hard on balancing our classes and with this update three of them are getting a bunch of updates. Look for future blogs that will discuss all of the changes on the way for the Hunter Ranger, Scourge Warlock, and Guardian Fighter.

Upcoming Blogs

For everything mentioned above and more, we’ll be releasing blogs every week from now until release! Check back regularly for detailed blogs including: